Fake spiritual teachers

1.       Fake teachers usually try to project a mysterious image.  This is often achieved by making themselves less accessible.

2.       Fake teachers claim to have acquired some ancient and secret techniques from a mysterious holy man.  They also claim that they alone has been empowered to teach those secret techniques to certain chosen people, preferably the rich and the famous.

3.       Very few aspirants are willing to work hard for long periods to achieve spiritual progress.   Taking advantage of that reluctance, some fake teachers claim that hard work will not be necessary for those who become their students.  They also claim that by their spiritual powers they can awaken the student’s dormant spirituality and liberate them here and now.  Such claims are utterly false.  The food in our stomach cannot be digested by anyone else.  So also with spiritual progress – it is we who have to work hard for it; no one else can do it for us.

A teacher can only give us guidance and inspiration.  We must follow our teacher’s guidance and work hard to progress spirituality.  The expression spiritual practice means repetitive spiritual effort.  Intense spiritual effort has to be made over and over again to achieve the goal of spiritual life.

4.       Another technique that false teachers use is to flatter the egos of their students.   They tell the students that they had been highly advanced souls in their previous incarnations and were born this time to assist him in propagating his message throughout the entire world, preferably in the affluent west.

5.       Another technique fake teachers may use is to pretend to be all-knowing.  With the help of accomplices they first collect information about the unsuspecting people who visit them.  Using that information, then try to create the false impression that they know everything about them.

6.       False teachers may start religious communes and encourage their followers to come and live with them.  Those joining these communes are almost totally controlled by these teachers.

For more information and guidance, visit http://www.ramakrishnavedantamath.org or mail to ramakrishnavedantamath@vsnl.net

Note – The above points are notes I have scrubbed down while reading the book “Meditation – Mind and Patanjali’s” written by Swami Bhaskarananda. I am blogging this material only to encourage the readers who see my blog to read the book and is not meant for any commercial purpose. It is just sharing information about a good book.

Regards,

Tirumalanath

tirumalanath@gmail.com